Read Online (5/10) Sea Change by Robert B. Parker - Free Book Online Page B

that,” Claudia said.
    “We don’t know any of them really,” Corliss said.
    Jesse took the sex video head shots from a drawer and put them out on the desk where the Plum twins could see them.
    “Know either of these gentlemen?” Jesse said.
    They did. Jesse could tell by the way their shoulders froze when they looked. They both shook their heads at the same time.
    “No,” Claudia said.
    “No, we don’t,” Corliss said.
    Jesse took out three other pictures.
    “One of these Florence?” Jesse said.
    They looked.
    “Course,” Corliss said.
    “That one,” Claudia said.
    “You didn’t even know which one she was?”
    “I did,” Jesse said. “I wanted to be sure you did.”
    They both stared at him silently for a moment.
    Then Claudia said, “Jesus Christ.”
    Corliss said,” Don’t you trust anybody?”
    “Trust,” Jesse said, “but verify.”
    “What’s that mean?”
    “It’s a reference to Ronald Reagan,” Jesse said.
    “That president?”
    “Him,” Jesse said.
    “Well, I think it’s mean not to trust us,” Claudia said.
    “You’re right,” Jesse said. “I’ll never do it again.”

20

    A fter the twins were gone, Molly stuck her head in the office door.
    “Steve Friedman called in,” she said. “Got a couple of kids shoplifting in Waldo’s Variety Store.”
    “What did they take?”
    “Skin magazines.”
    “Tell Steve to confiscate the magazines, let the kids sit in the cruiser for ten minutes to scare them, then kick ’em loose. No lectures.”
    Molly grinned.
    “That’ll be hard for Steve,” she said.
    “I know. Tell him I said so.”
    “No parent notification?” Molly said.
    “No.”
    Molly was still grinning.
    “How were the twins?” Molly said.
    “Vague,” Jesse said.
    “You survive with your virtue intact?”
    “So much sex,” Jesse said, “so little brain.”
    “You learn anything useful?” Molly said.
    “Mostly I learned that they know more than they are saying, and that they conceal that fact badly.”
    “What do you think they know?”
    “They know the two guys in the sex video,” Jesse said.
    “They say so?”
    “No.”
    “What did they want?”
    “I don’t think they quite know,” Jesse said. “They asked me to recommend a private eye.”
    “To help us on the case?”
    “Un-huh.”
    Molly rolled her eyes.
    “There are some good ones,” Jesse said. “I sent the little darlings to Rita Fiore, told them she could recommend.”
    “Can she?”
    “Probably. I know she uses some guy in Boston that’s supposed to be good.”
    “You think they were serious?”
    “I don’t think they’ve been serious in their whole vapid life, either one of them.”
    “And you sent them to Rita,” Molly said, “so you could call her in a while and asked if they showed up.”
    Jesse smiled and pointed a finger at Molly.
    “You’re mastering my technique,” Jesse said. “When I leave, you can be chief.”
    “Fat chance,” Molly said. “I better get on the horn to Steve. He’s probably already started his lecture.”
    “Cruel and unusual punishment,” Jesse said.
    “Wading through the skin magazines would be cruel enough,” Molly said.
    “Not if you’re an adolescent boy,” Jesse said.
    “You would know,” Molly said and left the office.
    Jesse stood and walked to the door.
    “Be sure Steve brings in the confiscated magazines,” he said.

21

    J esse was on the small balcony off the living room, drinking club soda, with his shirt off, when Jenn came home. It was hot, but the air off the harbor was cool and as the sun went down it got cooler. When they had been married and worked in Los Angeles, Jesse and Jenn had lived in one of those old bungalows in Hollywood, with an overhanging roof and a big front porch. Jesse used to like to sit out on the front steps of the porch in his undershirt and drink beer and feel the air.
    She kissed him gently when she came in.
    “I’ll join you,” she said. “Thank God it’s evening.”
    She